The liquid detergents for washing machines are generally packed in rigid plastic bottles equipped with a relative cap.
The cap usually acts also as a doser for the detergent in order to obtain the correct dosage for introduction in the washing machine.
These bottles are usually made of plastic materials, are bulky and the relative disposal is sometimes problematic; the overall size of the bottles also implies the need for considerable space in the sale displays.
In order to limit the proliferation and the consumption of these containers the concept has been developed of “refills”.
The so-called “refills”, as mentioned above, comprise a container, generally in the form of a flexible and deformable bag, also referred to in the trade as a “pouch” or “flexible packaging”, in which liquid detergent is inserted in a quantity suitable to constitute a refill for the bottle and designed to be poured into the bottle once the product inside it has finished.
In this way, the bottle may be repeatedly reused, allowing a considerable saving of plastic, also from an environmental sustainability point of view.
The bags, made, in short, from layered film, are generally provided with a spout, from which the product is free to escape, equipped with a normal screw cap.
Since they are effectively more practical to use, even and above all due to the reduced overall size of the bags, the refills are often used for directly filling the drawer of the washing machine.
A limitation of these bags derives from the fact that, without a corresponding bottle or at least a cap/doser, the product inside them cannot be conveniently dosed and, in the event of direct use, this determines further drawbacks.
On the one hand, if a quantity of product is used which is less than that recommended, the result of the washing could be poorer than expected whilst, on the other hand, if more than necessary is used, there is an excessive consumption of detergent.
In this context, the main aim of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the containers for refills.